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  • Essay / A Theme of Sin in "The Scarlet Letter" by Nathaniel Hawthorne

    In The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne masterfully expounds many different types of themes, including: sin, adultery, revenge, guilt, and blame. He uses character development to format the plot of this novel with rising action and a turning climax. There are four main characters who make this novel what it is: Hester Prynne, Arthur Dimmesdale, Roger Chillingsworth, and Hester's daughter Pearl. All the characters in the book are affected in one way or another by the theme of sin; The greatest adultery a person can commit is sin and it shapes their entire life and how they decide to deal with it. Say no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay To begin, Hester, knowing that she has committed the sin of adultery, Hester's choice to embrace her action him allows you to grow, by presenting the Scarlet Letter. Unlike Dimmesdale, Hester has no choice but to move forward with her child Pearl. Although it may seem like a horrible punishment at first, it ends up working for her. At first, people are mean to Hester, who feels guilt and shame because of their appearance. One person finally tried to put an end to it by exclaiming, “not a stitch in that embroidered letter, but she felt it in her heart” (Hawthorne). Additionally, Hester's appearance begins to reflect her feelings; she wears more types of clothes. Hester tried to move on with her life, moving to town and becoming a seamstress while raising Pearl alone without the presence of a father figure. The villagers begin to appreciate the hard work Hester has done for them. Hester is filled with emotion knowing full well that “she would become the general symbol to which the preacher and the moralist could point…the figure, the body, the reality of sin.” She begins to distract herself with her work and realizes the blessing of her. child Pearl, and the “A” engraved on her chest begins to mean something more powerful. She even tried to fix the letter on her chest and improve it. Hester's secret sin was revealed to everyone in the town, which stopped him from ruining her life even further. Rather than trying to avoid the past, she attempts to complete tasks in an effort to ask forgiveness from everyone, including her own child. In contrast, Arthur Dimmesdale refuses to reveal the act of adultery, instead telling the town what he has done. but he did not want this blame. He is completely different from Hester; a reverend, and keeping his sin a secret from everyone. This act already seems to trouble him from the beginning of the book, since he is described as having “an air – a look of worry, surprise, half fright – like that of a being who finds himself lost. on the path of human existence” (Hawthorne). Despite the world, Dimmesdale tries to keep the secret hidden until it begins to show that something is wrong with him. Over time, Dimmesdale's health begins to deteriorate; he is described as “emancipated: his voice contained a certain melancholy prophecy of decadence; we often saw him place his hand on his heart, with first a redness then a paleness, a sign of pain.” Of course, most of the town sees something in his dedication to his religious studies, ignoring the evil that started it all. His condition doesn't improve, especially with Chillingsworth in the middle. Dimmesdale's health begins to worsen, but in a positive way; this of course happens after he has come to terms with the sin he has committed and plans to flee town with Hester and Pearl. As..